PRAISEWORTHY: Alexis Wright’s epic tale of rural Australia is deep and acidic
Alexis Wright’s hugely ambitious tale of rural Australia, Praiseworthy, is a book you don’t so much read but experience and inhabit.
Reviews
NEIL GAIMAN’s latest book is a collaborative illustrated poem in aid of a refugee charity
Neil Gaiman asked his online followers, “What reminds you of warmth?”, and from the replies devised a poem graphically brought to life here.
BDRMM live in Cardiff: shoegaze grooves spark whisky-fuelled moshing
BDRMM aren’t your average static shoegaze mumblers, and this evening they meet the challenge of entertaining a rowdy Saturday crowd.
SHREK THE MUSICAL: a joyfully different fairytale in Cardiff’s WMC
Watching this exuberant, colourful and warm-hearted musical, adapted from the movie series, is like stepping into the pages of a fairytale.
THE MARY WALLOPERS deliver their advertised IRISH ROCK N ROLL in Cardiff
It’s not all craic and spilled beer with Dundalk folk-rockers The Mary Wallopers… but, in fairness, it mostly is at the Tramshed tonight.
THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER: Joanna Hogg enlists Tilda Swinton and Carly-Sophia Davies for gothic north Walian larks
The Eternal Daughter, creator Joanna Hogg's stab at a ghost story, is ultimately more interested in a mother-daughter relationship than providing scares.
LONELY THE BRAVE’s fourth album: ethereal-toned synths and reverb-laden guitars
What We Do To Feel, the fourth album to date by Cambridge band Lonely The Brave, is a record of ethereal synths and reverb-laden guitars.
Documentary DEEP LISTENING tells the story of avant-garde American composer PAULINE OLIVEROS
Daniel Weintraub’s new documentary, largely narrated by the late American composer herself through archive footage
Tributes to Sinead and Weatherall on DAVID HOLMES’ first solo album for 15 years
David Holmes' first solo album since 2008 roots for outsiders and the displaced:a thought-provoking soundtrack for cruel, angry and turbulent times.
Singer-songwriter JOE HICKS and band are comfortable, accomplished but detached in Cardiff
From the first song by Newbury-based singer-songwriter Joe Hicks, it was evident that this was a man comfortable in his musical skin.
CAT POWER pays homage to an iconic BOB DYLAN concert.. and pulls it off
Few could pull off a recreation of one of Bob Dylan’s most (in)famous gigs - Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1966 - but Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, pulls a masterstroke.
Indie-folk globetrotter Zach Condon’s BEIRUT project returns in frosty style
The latest postcard from Zach Condon’s musical alias Beirut arrives from the northern Norwegian town of Hadsel.
JOHN FRANCIS FLYNN: Irish folkie with hotly anticipated second album
After 2021’s exceptional I Would Not Live Always, expectations are very high for Look Over The Wall, See The Sky, John Francis Flynn’s second album of traditional Irish folk.
STEELHOUSE AWAY DAY IV: Kira Mac, Troy Redfern and more in Cardiff
The guys at Steelhouse have hit upon the idea of hosting an away day four months after everyone has come down from the musical and literal high of the 2023 festival.
EMPIRE STATE BASTARD live in Cardiff: earplugs required for this visceral beast
Empire State Bastard's live performance in Cardiff was filled with raw intensity, flawless synergy, as well as a glimpse of new material.
Filled with EDEL RODRIGUEZ’s political art, WORM is a brilliant graphic memoir
Worm, Edel Rodriguez's graphic novel-formatted memoir, shows not just his evolution to unfortunately iconic artist, but also his upbringing in smalltown Cuba and escape to Florida.
Take a culinary journey through British food history with STUFFED
Calling all foodies! Stuffed: A History Of Good Food And Hard Times In Britain is an eye-opening, mouthwatering tour de force of a culinary encyclopaedia.
THE CINEMATIC WORLD OF PULP: behind-the-scenes of THIS IS HARDCORE album
Step into the technicolor realm of Pulp's iconic album This Is Hardcore, with Paul Burgess' striking visuals, in The Cinematic World Of Pulp.
ANATOMY OF A FALL: Cannes Palme d’Or winner is a gripping legal drama in the French Alps
Cannes Palme d'Or winner Anatomy of a Fall features an enigmatic performance by Sandra Hüller, tangled relationships, and thorny courtroom drama.
Ambitious, challenging and striking: new adult Welsh-language musical BRANWEN: DADENI
Challenging, ambitious and imperfect, much like its titular heroine, you’d be hard-pressed to find Welsh mythology retold with as much vim and viscera as Branwen: Dadeni.
In NOT RUSSIAN, MIKHAIL SHEVELEV crafts a sharp political thriller
Dive into Mikhail Shevelev's sharp political thriller Not Russian, delving into history, conflict, and the power of friendship.
CAMILA GRUDOVA’s dark delights: 16 gothic short stories entrance in THE COILED SERPENT
Explore the cruelty and obscure obsessions in Camilla Grudova's collection of dark short stories ripe with visceral twists.
NOTHING BUT THIEVES welcome Swansea to the DEAD CLUB CITY tour
Touring their fourth and latest album Dead Club City, Essex’s Nothing But Thieves took Swansea Arena by storm.
The incomparable FALL OUT BOY treat Cardiff fans to best setlist in years
Fall Out Boy treat Cardiff to an epic performance of iconic hits, surprises, and electric stage spectacles.